Taming The Beast
by FantasyNerd306
Summary: This is more like a what if scenario. What if someone could help Dennis and Leigh handle Christine and calm the Fury? If so, would it change the end of the film? Or are things set in stone? Note: Takes place in the movie verse. Rated T for some coarse language and a character death


A\N: This is more like a what if scenario story. There's another one based off of this in the works. This also provides an inside look as to what goes on in Dusk's head when she handles possessed machinery. Let's take a look shall we?

Dusk sat down and made herself comfortable on her elaborate chair in the study of her mansion. The arm rests were cool to the touch. Dolor, her mechanical dragon, and the most impressive machine she had built, was deactivated and resting. The fire in the massive fireplace was burning strong, and gave off a soft warm glow that filled the whole room. She was just about to relax after a long day, when suddenly her telephone rang. She jumped in surprise, and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Dusk was taken by surprise at the voice of the other woman on the other side of the line.

"You know how to handle haunted machines right?" the woman's voice was soft, as if she was hiding from someone... or something.

"Yes...why do you ask?" Dusk was shocked at the very tone of the woman's voice. The woman was spooked about something.

"I saw your ad in the phone book. It's my ex... I think his car... changed him somehow. I don't know how to explain it. It's almost as if he's been possessed. There's something up with that car. Could you come and check it out?" the woman sounded nervous now. It was if she was paranoid. Dusk thought about it for a moment. She had gotten some hoax calls before, and this could be one of them. She needed to dig deeper, and get more details about the car.

"Can you tell me any details about this _possession_?" Dusk leaned back into her chair, and tapped her finger on the cool wooden armrest.

"Well, the car was involved with the murders of a few school bullies, and Mr. Darnell, the guy who owned the Do-It-Yourself Garage around here. They found him crushed between the driver's seat and the steering wheel." the woman's voice started to crack as if she was about to cry. Dusk stiffened, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. The very fact that the car was involved with several murders was a huge red flag, but despite that, she needed more information to confirm the car truly was possessed.

"Anything else?" Dusk raised an eyebrow.

"It... it tried... to kill me." the woman began to cry. Clearly she hadn't told anyone else this. Dusk knew at that moment she had a case on her hands, a very severe one at that.

"Wha-" Dusk was speechless.

"I don't know! I was choking, and it got bright!" the woman sobbed. "The doors locked by themselves, so my ex couldn't get in. I don't know what to do that's why I called you." the woman hiccuped. This alarmed Dusk. She had to get this car under control, but before she could jump the gun, she had to get an idea as to who or what could be behind the wheel of the car.

"Do you know the history of the car, before your ex bought it?" Dusk had to eliminate the fact that an animal may very well have taken over.

"No, but my friend does." the woman whimpered.

"Alright, I'll check it out. When and where do you want me to meet you at?" Dusk pulled out a notebook, her 'business log', from underneath the table, and scribbled down the information. "Uh-huh, mhm. I guess it's set then. Thanks for calling." she hung up and held her head in her hand. _Oh boy, this is going to be fun._ She thought.

A couple of days later, Leigh had brought Dennis to the abandoned lot across the street from Darnell's. Leigh hoped this ' _Machine Handler'_ was the real deal, and not a scam. She was going to pay her month's savings for this.

"Face it Leigh, she's scamming you. There's no such thing as a Machine Handler." Dennis leaned back a little against the street lamp, and readjusted the grip on his crutches.

"What can we do then Dennis? We don't know what that thing is capable of! If we are to get rid of this thing, we should leave it to someone who knows what they are doing." Leigh did have a point. They needed someone who knew how handle this kind of stuff. Dennis sighed. Leigh had won this argument. They both jumped when they heard the sharp sound of tires screeching, and nervously looked around. They couldn't let their guard down, especially since they weren't sure the garage held Christine this long or not. A heavily modified black 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse with a skeletal paint job, and a rather toothy grill, screeched to a stop in front of them. Dennis shuddered. The hearse seemed to be alive. It's black headlights had small white circles in the middle, and they looked like eyes for a brief second. The hearse's driver side door swung open, and were-cat woman wearing steampunk attire climbed out of the hearse. Dennis and Leigh looked at each other. This couldn't possibly be the woman Leigh had called.

Dusk lifted her steampunk goggles onto the brim of her top hat, revealing her icy blue cat like eyes. The gears on her top hat slowly spun, and steam came out in small tendrils from the bronze pipes on the side of it. She approached them, her leather boots jingling, and her sword cane clicking on the pavement.

"Are you the one who called about a possessed car?" Dusk pointed at the human woman. The woman didn't answer right away.

"Yes..." the woman reluctantly answered, and just stared at Dusk. Dusk smirked, and held out a hand.

"The name's Dusk." Dusk shook hands with the woman.

"I'm Leigh, and this is Dennis." Leigh pointed at the human behind her. Dusk looked down at Dennis' crutches.

"Ah, I see you've taken a hit in the leg didn't you?" Dusk looked into his eyes and read him. She saw he was unsure if he could trust her. Dennis nodded.

"Football," Dennis didn't seem too happy about it.

"Ah, don't worry. You're not the only one." Dusk lifted her pant leg, revealing a twisted gnarly scar on her right leg. Dennis was taken aback by the old wound.

"Got that in the war, and now I have to walk with this thing." Dusk lifted her sword cane, "Whenever I'm in pain."

"Well, thank you for your service." Dennis nodded. Dusk tipped her hat in acknowledgement.

"So, Leigh told me you know about the history of this car... What can you tell me about it?" Dusk needed to narrow down the possibilities just who or what was behind the wheel of the car.

"Well... it was this guy's brother's car. He loved it very much. The car was somehow involved with the deaths of his brother's daughter, and wife. That's all I know." Dennis shrugged. Dusk rubbed her chin.

"Hmm..interesting...perhaps you can let me in on the behavior of, so I could have an idea as to what to expect." Dusk raised an eyebrow.

"It takes control of its owner, and it attacks at night. That's all I know." Dennis was growing more confident in Dusk she was asking all the right questions.

"How well can you handle haunted machines exactly?" Leigh asked her. Dusk smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask that. You see my hearse over there?" Dusk gestured to the hearse.

"Yeah...what about it?"Leigh nervously glanced at the hearse. At that moment, the hearse roared to life. Leigh and Dennis flinched, and quickly stepped back. The hearse slunk over to Dusk's side. Dusk gently patted its hood, and the hearse rumbled.

"This is Skully. When he was a mortal, he used to be a taxi driver until his cab crashed head-on with the hearse." Dusk leaned back against Skully's side. "Do you want to touch him?" Dusk chuckled. Dennis and Leigh looked a little spooked. Dennis shifted nervously. Dusk smiled.

"It's alright. He won't bite." Dusk reassured him. Leigh bravely, but hesitantly approached the hearse. Skully was staring straight at her, watching her hand. She carefully laid a hand on the hearse's hood, and the hearse rumbled softy. Its hood was warm and perfectly smooth to the touch.

"How was he when he found him? I mean how aggressive was he?" Leigh lifted her hand, and looked at Dusk.

"Oh you have no idea." Dusk chuckled. "Before I found him he would attack anyone on sight. As much as I hated to do it, I had to restrain him with steel bars anchored six feet deep in concrete. Poor thing. He was aggressive enough to attack me. That's how I got this scar." Dusk lifted her pant leg again, and pointed at the huge scar that looked like a huge shark bite wound on her calf. Leigh's jaw dropped.

"What did he do to you?" Leigh was in shock.

"It was the rare time I let him out, so I can get him get used to me. Well, he had other plans. He turned around and bit me within the blink of an eye. I was lucky to survive, but I forgave him. You see, he was new to this at the time, and he was scared and confused about what was going on. I eventually calmed him down. I just learned as I went." Dusk shrugged.

"He's so docile now. I can't even imagine him doing such a thing." Leigh blinked in shock.

"Well this one isn't scared or confused. It's just evil. It kills people out of revenge, and controls its owner." Dennis stood up straight. Dusk nodded.

"Yes, I'm very much aware of the danger I face." Dusk stood up straight. "Do you know the car's current whereabouts?"

"Over there in the Do-It-Yourself Garage." Dennis pointed across the street. Dusk gazed at the ominous building for what seemed like a whole minute.

"I see." Dusk tapped her foot on the concrete. "Do you have permission from the current owner?"

"Yeah, I have the keys too." Dennis pulled out the keys from his pocket.

"Put them on Skully's hood." Dusk nodded towards Skully. Dennis gave her a puzzled look.

"Possessed machines tend to have sharper senses than us mortals. They can detect things we can't. I don't want the car to get a whiff of your scent if it doesn't like you two." Dusk clearly knew more about these things than Dennis had previously thought. Dennis reluctantly approached the hearse, and then froze dead in his tracks when the hearse looked at him.

"Dennis..." Leigh sighed and shook her head. Dennis laid the keys on the hearse's hood. Dusk pulled out a leather glove from her pocket, put it on her free hand, and picked up the keys. Dusk looked at Skully at the corner of her eye.

"Skully, protect them. Hard telling if this thing is strong enough to break out or not." Dusk was adding precautionary measures just to be safe. Skully was powerful than most, and would certainly buy the two humans enough time to escape if the car did break free. "You two stay here if something goes wrong. If the car escapes, run like Hell, or climb into Skully. He'll keep you two safe, I promise." Dusk turned, looked both ways, and then crossed the street. Skully made a strange noise, almost as if to whimper like a dog.

"It's okay. She'll be fine." Leigh stroked Skully's hood to reassure him. Skully rumbled as a reply.

Dusk unlocked the door, and took a deep breath. She relaxed. She learned from the many years of handling possessed machines that they are sensitive to mortal emotions, like an animal. They are sensitive to the energy mortals give off. That very well could be the source of the problem, but she couldn't assume anything yet. She had to be cautious. She found a light switch, and flicked it on. Only one row of lights illuminated a small area. That was all she needed. If the car was more comfortable in the dark, then so be it. She took off her glove, and turned it inside out, masking the scent of the two humans with her own. She walked towards the center of the building, and noticed a large pile of scrap metal. Some machines like to camouflage themselves to help keep from arousing suspicion, but camouflage was clearly not this machine's strong point. It was obvious where it was hiding.

 _That looks like a good place to hang out._ Dusk thought, and approached the scrap heap. She stopped just a few yards in front of it, and bent down to sit on the floor. She grimaced as pain shot up her leg, but she sat down anyway. She laid her sword cane down beside her, then had second thoughts, and rolled it away from her. She didn't want the car to see her as a threat. She waited for two hours, and the car wasn't showing, but that wasn't a problem. She had a fool-proof trick up her sleeve. She brought out a jar that held a special mixture of week old roadkill, and fresh blood, her secret weapon. She opened the jar and gagged. The smell was rancid to mortals, but to possessed machines it, was the equivalent to how bacon is to a dog, or how tuna salad is to a cat. She placed the jar on the floor, covered her nose with her sleeve, and fanned the brim of the jar to spread the horrible stench.

Christine picked up the most delectable smell of something rotting away with a sweet hint of fresh blood. She fought against her better judgement for what seemed a whole hour, but the temptation was just too strong.

Dusk was nearly asleep when all of the sudden a piece of scrap metal fell onto the floor. She jumped, and then stiffened as a beautiful red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury poked its grill out from the scrap heap. It almost looked like a fox poking its nose out of its den. Dusk softly gasped. This Fury was beyond beautiful. It was gorgeous. She was frozen in place. She didn't want to startle or provoke the Fury. The Fury ever so slowly emerged, and then stopped as if to have second thoughts. Dusk quickly lowered her gaze. It was unlikely the Fury was possessed by the spirit of an animal, but the Fury could still see eye contact as a challenge, and once again, she didn't want the Fury to see her as a threat.

Dennis, and Leigh were starting to grow concerned. It was almost midnight, and Dusk still hadn't returned. It seemed Skully was starting to get a little worried too. He kept looking across the street, and made a strange noise. It sounded as if he was whimpering like a dog. It was so difficult to believe that Skully had attacked Dusk when she first found him. He was just so sweet, and gentle, but Dennis rightfully distrusted Skully, and Leigh knew Skully was different from Christine. Christine was a blood-thirsty monster, but Skully was a gentle giant. He was loyal, and seemed to obey Dusk's most recent command. He was on full alert, but what if something happened to Dusk? Who would take care of Skully? Arnie was clearly not an option. Dusk needed Skully to protect her just as much as they did.

"That's it, I'm going over there to see what's going on." Leigh started to walk towards Darnell's, and Dennis grabbed her by the arm.

"No, it's too dangerous. Christine... doesn't like you remember?" Dennis looked into her eyes, hoping to show his sincerity. Leigh sighed.

"Dennis, it's okay. If something happens Skully will protect us." Leigh looked over to Skully. The hearse rumbled, as if to agree with her. Despite his better judgement, Dennis reluctantly let go of her, and followed her to Darnell's, with Skully right beside him. It was if Skully was ready to catch him if he fell, or maybe he could be offreing to let Dennis lean against him to rest when he gets tired. This was probably another 'trick' Dusk had taught him. It was almost like he was trained to be a service dog. Perhaps she could do the same thing with Christine. Dennis chuckled at the thought of Christine actually helping out a little bit like his own personal assistant. Leigh and Dennis peeked through the door, and their eyes grew wide in shock. Christine was right in front of Dusk, and slowly getting closer by the minute. Dusk laid her hand on the floor to situate herself, and Christine's engine roared as if to snarl. Dusk quickly lifted her hand. Dennis, and Leigh held their breath as Christine slowly swung around to face Dusk's back, and pressed her grill into Dusk's back.

Dusk felt a blast of warm air from the Fury's grill. It was drawing in her scent, gathering information. The Fury slowly backed away, and turned to face Dusk. She dared to lift her gaze, and made direct eye contact with the Fury. Much to her relief, the Fury didn't retaliate. She scooted the jar closer to the Fury, making a peace offering. The Fury paid no attention to her offering, and inched closer. The Fury was so close. It was less than an inch from her face, and it was even more beautiful up close. Even in the dim light, the Fury's red paint, and flawless chrome glistened. The human who owns this car was lucky, and it gave him more than what he bargained for. She slowly lifted her hand, and held it front of the Fury. The Fury didn't respond for a few minutes, and then gently touched her hand with its grill, right on the emblem. She breathed a sigh of relief. The Fury trusted her, and now she could work with it.

Dennis, and Leigh were speechless. They couldn't believe Dusk had managed to calm Christine down, let alone touch her.

"Wow..." Leigh whispered. Christine must have heard her because she quickly reversed, and shined her headlights on Leigh. Leigh froze, terrified. Dennis was about to step out and protect her, when Skully squeezed past him, and revved his engine. He was willing to risk his life to protect the two humans.

Dusk shot up, and turned around to see Dennis, and Leigh behind Skully, frozen in fear. She looked at the Fury as it revved its powerful engine. Its intentions were clear. It was bent on killing the two humans. The Fury lunged forward, and Dusk raced towards them. Pain shot up her leg, but she ignored the pain. The two humans were in grave danger. She stepped in front of the two humans with both arms out.

Leigh stumbled back, trying to get away. Suddenly, Christine screeched to a stop just in front of Dusk. Dusk gently hushed the Fury.

"It's okay... It's okay. I won't let them hurt you." Dusk kept her tone of voice gentle, and her movements slow. It seemed to work because Christine's headlights slowly dimmed.

"Good." Dusk smiled. "Very good."

Dennis was impressed with the drastic change in Christine's behavior. Leigh was in awe. Dusk truly knew what she was doing, and it was working. Dusk slowly withdrew her arms, and cautiously approached Christine.

"Easy... Easy..." Dusk touched Christine's hood, and the Fury didn't retaliate.

"To be honest I never thought _anyone_ would be able to touch her." Dennis whispered to Leigh. Leigh nodded in agreement.

Dusk's black cat ears swiveled when she heard Dennis talking to Leigh, and the gender of the Fury was finally revealed. All of the possessed machines she handled in the past were male, so she wasn't sure if handling a female would be much different, but so far it seemed to be the same regardless. That was part of handling possessed machines. She will constantly learn something new everyday. She patted the Fury's hood, and looked back at the two humans.

"It will take a while for her to be completely-" Dusk jumped as another human pushed Dennis, and Leigh aside, and raced through the door. He looked like he had ran the whole way here. Dusk read him, and found something rather disturbing... The very essence of the Fury had tainted his mind. This just made it even more difficult. In all of her thirty years of working working with possessed machines, this was the second case of the owner under the machine's influence. It was extremely rare, and extremely dangerous. He was obsessed with the Fury, and he obviously wasn't too happy to find out Leigh had called her.

"No! Shes' mine!" the human snarled. Dusk remained calm. If she gets agitated or upset, the Fury very well could reflect that, and make the situation worse.

"I'm afraid you don't understand sir. I was only trying to help her." Dusk gestured to the Fury.

"Bullshit! You're using her!" this human was truly a madman. This was the most severe case Dusk had ever seen. Dusk put her hands up.

"Look, I didn't mean for you to take it that way. I'm only trying to help her that's all." Dusk read him again, and found his first name: Arnold, and saw he was near the breaking point. He was about to become violent. Arnie snarled, and pulled his arm back to punch her. The Fury surged forward, and wedged herself between Dusk and Arnie. The Fury was making it clear Dusk wasn't to be touched. Arnie cursed, frustrated.

Dennis, and Leigh were in awe. Christine protected Dusk from Arnie, her owner. Perhaps there is some good in her after all. Christine slowly inched towards Arnie, as if to push him back. Arnie gritted his teeth.

"You're just trying to steal her from me!" Arnie pointed at Dusk.

"No, I'm not. I was just trying to calm her down a little." Dusk was growing tense. It was obvious the Fury was starting to get worked up. The Fury's headlights brightened, and she revved her engine.

"Bullshit! You know it shitter!" Arnie screamed over the Fury's engine.

"Listen, Arnie, we were just-" Dennis must have been Arnie's friend, or at least he used to be.

"You must brought her to brainwash us!" Arnie had had enough, and ran at Dusk . Dusk darted out of the way, picked up her sword cane, and unsheathed the blade. The weapon twinkled in the bright light of the Fury's headlights like a mirror. Arnie came to an abrupt stop just in front of of the blade. Dusk pointed the blade at his chest.

"Stay back." Dusk growled, and folded her ears back. "I don't want to use this."

"But _I_ do." Arnie smiled wryly. He grabbed her wrist, and the pommel of her blade. Dusk snarled, and tried to break free of his grip. They were in a deadly tug-of-war. The Fury kept lunging forward, and revving her engine, but she didn't want to harm or Arnie, or Dusk. The Fury couldn't risk injuring both of them. Dusk looked into his eyes, and read him one last time. She saw his murderous intentions, and waited for the perfect moment. Arnie yanked hard, and she let go. The sword easily pierced Arnie's abdomen, like how a toothpick goes through a sandwich. His scream was cut short by a gush blood from his mouth. Arnie collapsed, lifeless. Dusk was frozen in place, horrified by the fact that she killed the Fury's owner. Who knows how the Fury would react, but it looked like Arnie killed himself. Perhaps the Fury would buy it. It seemed to work because the Fury's headlights dimmed. Dusk looked at the Fury.

"I guess that means you don't have a home now huh?" Dusk asked the Fury as if to expect an answer. The Fury didn't reply. Dusk knew the safest option for both the Fury, and the townsfolk. "You can stay with me if you want. It's up to you." Dusk was giving the Fury a choice. She never liked to keep a possessed machine against its will unless it was absolutely necessary. The Fury inched forward, and gently pressed her grill into her thigh, and made a strange noise.

Dennis, and Leigh had never heard Christine make such a noise before, but it certainly wasn't any sign of aggression.

"Does she have a name?" Dusk asked them. Dennis nodded.

"Yeah, her name's Christine." Dennis felt uneasy. There was something wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Whatever it was, he didn't like it.

"Christine," Dusk repeated. "That's a pretty name." Dusk gently laid a hand on Christine's hood.

"Do I owe you anything?" Leigh asked Dusk. Dusk shook her head.

"No, the first case is always free. I'm just warning you that once you have one possessed machine, it's likely you'll come across another one. Don't try to handle it yourself. Call me. Okay?" Dusk wiped her blade clean, and sheathed it.

"Got it." Leigh nodded. They watched Dusk, Skully, and Christine leave. Dusk sensed a wry smile from Christine. It had gone exactly as they had planned.

 _Fools..._ Dusk smirked.

A/N: I always saw Leigh more open than Dennis. It even says so in the book when she's being choked by Christine. It's pretty bad if it's a severe case in Dusk's opinion, but she managed to pull through. I'll see if I can write any more stories on this.


End file.
